November gives us the chance to build greater ownership and pride in our Foundation. PolioPlus is successful because Rotarians believe in our commitment and support it financially. We give to the polio eradication effort because we see clearly what our money is doing and what we are helping to achieve. We all take pride in knowing that the money we give is helping to fund a polio-free world.

Don’t Be the Grinch with Our Foundation

But many Rotarians do not have the same pride and ownership of the Foundation’s Endowment Fund and Annual Fund. We are still falling short of our goal of Every Rotarian, Every Year. Why? Because Rotarians do not know what good works the Endowment Fund and Annual Fund enable us to do.

The Endowment Fund and Annual Fund are what make Rotary more than just an association of Rotary clubs. They allow us to share our resources, work together, and bring our work to a higher level. The greater our Foundation’s resources, the greater our ability as Rotarians to meet the needs of our communities.

And when every one of us donates to The Rotary Foundation, it truly becomes our Foundation – and we all share the pride in the good that it does.

This is why we have Every Rotarian, Every Year. And this is why our goal for the Annual Fund in 2013-14 is US$120 million, which represents a donation from every Rotarian, averaging $100 each.

If we want the freedom to be ambitious in our service, we must know that we have a strong Foundation supporting us. And if we want to know that Rotary will endure, we need a strong Endowment Fund – for whatever lies ahead.